As Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan has pointed out, awareness must begin at home and, may I add, in school.

Many parents and early childhood educators know little about eating healthy. I often see parents indulging even their babies with fried carrot cake, or mashed potatoes from fast-food chains. At the supermarket, it is a common sight to see parents loading up their carts with cereal and biscuits containing unhealthy amounts of sugar.

In preschools, children are plied with sweets, presumably as rewards for behaving or answering questions. In primary schools, soft drinks and ice cream are readily available to young children.

Cumulatively, these habits shape our kids' tastes from a young age to desire only food with a lot of sugar, fat and salt.

All I can do as a parent is provide my kids with healthy home-cooked meals and keep only such food at home.

But what happens when they go to school? I have done my best to educate them on what is healthy and what is not. Now, my children can tell me what food is good or not good for them and why.

But when they are offered a healthy banana and a slice of cake, guess which they gobble up first? The cake, and with a grin, saying: 'Mummy, I know this is unhealthy!'

My point is, our children are unable to make the right choices. If you educate them on health issues but soft drinks are readily available in school, they will still drink it.

To all parents, please cook at home. If I go to a fast-food restaurant, I would never just order apples and corn. I would ask for a burger too. This teaches our children to love fast-food.

Educators and the Health Ministry should help police the food that is served in schools for the sake our children. More can also be done to educate our teachers and parents on health issues.

Lynda Kiong Chiew Min (Mdm)